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US 4,045,932 AGranted
Joint system for wall panel construction
OwnerAllen Z. Bogertinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerAllen Z. Bogertinventor
Estimating the term…
A joint system for wall panel construction, particularly adapted for use with metal studs. The system provides a batten cover element which is positioned to overlie the junctions between panels of a wall panel structure having butt joints, inside corners, and/or outside corners. The system of the invention utilizes a receiver element which is adapted to be fastened to the framework studs which underlie the junction, the receiver element having a portion which projects outwardly between the panels and terminates in a locking flange. The receiver element is identical for all junctions and separate batten cover elements cooperate with the locking flange to cover the junctions, the batten element having one form for a butt joint, a second form for an inside corner, and a third form for an outside corner, each form providing one wing having a locking channel to receive the locking flange of the receiver and adapted to overlie one panel and a second wing to overlie the other panel. The receiver and batten elements have sufficient resilience to snap into place and interlock against inadvertent displacement, the resilience also affording intentional displacement to enable disassembly of the joint.
Wall panel construction including a plurality of panels disposed in edge-to-edge relation along a junction, a framework for supporting said panels, said framework having a support stud underlying the junction of said panels and extending along the length of said junction, a receiver mounted on said support stud having a base portion confronting at least one of said panels and having a seating surface in face-to-face abutting relationship with the interior surface of said one panel along the junction edge thereof, a mounting web extending perpendicularly from said base portion disposed intermediate said panels along the length of said junction, said web projecting from said base portion a distance greater than the thickness of said panels, the end of said web outermost from said base portion having a pre-formed integral locking flange extending therefrom parallel to said base portion with its interior surface spaced from the seating surface of said base portion by a distance equal to the thickness of the panel plus a predetermined clearance, said pre-formed locking flange and the seating surface of said base portion providing a channel into which the marginal portion of one of the panels may loosely fit during assembly, and a cover element for said junction substantially coextensive in length with said receiver and having two wings respectively adapted to overlie the adjacent edges of the panels comprising the junction, one wing of said cover element having a locking channel on its undersurface adapted to receive said locking flange, said locking channel being defined between an outer wall of said cover strip and an inner locking wall substantially parallel to said outer wall, the thickness of said locking wall corresponding to said predetermined clearance so that after assembly when said locking channel is engaged with said locking flange, the space between said seating surface and said locking wall is equal to the thickness of said one panel and the marginal portion of said one panel fits tightly between said seating surface and said locking wall.
A receiver for mounting cover elements on a support stud in a wall panel construction comprising a base portion having one surface adapted to seat on the front of the stud and an opposite surface providing aligned seating surfaces for wall panel elements, an anchoring flange extending from said one surface perpendicular to said base portion to seat on one side of the stud, a mounting web extending from said opposite surface perpendicular to said base portion intermediate said aligned seating surfaces and spaced parallel to said anchoring flange to project outwardly from the medial portion of the stud, said mounting web terminating in a pre-formed integral locking flange disposed parallel to said base portion and projecting perpendicular to said web toward said anchoring flange to provide a channel between one of said seating surfaces and said locking flange adapted to receive the edge of a wall panel element, said locking flange having at its free end remote from said web a latch portion adapted to releasably interlock with the cover element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.